What does a failed medical device rep do??

[Anonymous]

I know everyone acts like they are the top rep in their company and make 150K a year but surely you have seen others not do well for whatever reason. Mine is due to substance abuse. There just comes a point in time when you cant defend your resume even if it is inflated and you have job gaps, not the best brag book, etc. Also, feel like you need a fresh start.

Yes, there are other Business-to-business sales jobs that are more about just simple "account management" but I have seen the older one gets the harder it is to get hired. Usually guys do the copier sales route and then get into medical but I am not sure if I take a job making 45K say doing copier sales, but what about advancement opportunities? When it is obvious you took a step back. I basically have 2 different industry jobs on my resume and it would be a 3rd if get out of it. I think people that hire like to see career advancement as a big thing when hiring since everyone says they were over quota. But career advancement is more easily to verify.

 

[Anonymous]

I know everyone acts like they are the top rep in their company and make 150K a year but surely you have seen others not do well for whatever reason. Mine is due to substance abuse. There just comes a point in time when you cant defend your resume even if it is inflated and you have job gaps, not the best brag book, etc. Also, feel like you need a fresh start.

Yes, there are other Business-to-business sales jobs that are more about just simple "account management" but I have seen the older one gets the harder it is to get hired. Usually guys do the copier sales route and then get into medical but I am not sure if I take a job making 45K say doing copier sales, but what about advancement opportunities? When it is obvious you took a step back. I basically have 2 different industry jobs on my resume and it would be a 3rd if get out of it. I think people that hire like to see career advancement as a big thing when hiring since everyone says they were over quota. But career advancement is more easily to verify.

You'd be surprised how well honesty works these days. Most people now have gaps in their resumes as the last 6 years have been brutal for salespeople. I had a stable work history of only 2 companies over more than 10 years and then the bottom fell out with the economy. I bounced around searching for my place in the corporate world. It took 6 companies over 4 years but I finally found it. I tried 2 other indutries and ended up going back to the industry I had been in.

I would suppress the substance abuse as the reason but gaps in the resume are normal and accepted today. These days it is all about being able to convey skills that you possess and how those skills will help the new company. Get to the F2F and blow them away with your knowledge of the industry and your passion to work for the company and you can get the job over someone with a "perfect" resume.

But you have to believe in yourself and know that you deserve the opportunity.

I'm guessing you are clean now but do you honestly think sales is the right job for you? All everyone does at sales meetings is hang out and drink. Not ideal for someone on the wagon.

 

[Anonymous]

No, I am unsure if sales is right for me. But I am not sure what else to do when all of my experience is just in that.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for starting this thread. There are a number of different reasons people are curious about changing careers. Many of us in medical sales (device or pharma) have become dissatisfied with their day to day activities or, as you mentioned, have been unsuccessful. I was in a similar position and discovered that there are other sales opportunities outside of medical. You can work as a rep for many other kinds of companies in other business sectors. Also, you can talk to a career counselor who can help point you in the right direction. Good luck.

 

[Anonymous]

The first, and most important, thing you must do is to be clean and sober for a period of time. Good luck.

 

[Anonymous]

The first, and most important, thing you must do is to be clean and sober for a period of time. Good luck.

I know; the problem is I hate withdrawls so I usually do a little something before interviews. I am truly fucked up. It is mental for the most part although on 1 occasion I landed a job being completely out of my mind at interview.

 

[Anonymous]

Friend, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I am going to say some very honest things to you in the hope that it will help you get on the right track. Please forgive me if I sound harsh. My words are from the heart.

It sounds like you are jumping the gun by asking for career advice right now. From what I have read in your responses, it is clear that you are not fully committed to being clean. How does getting a new job or entering a new field help you if the root causes of this pain that has damaged your life and career to this point have not been addressed? Taking on a new job now will only serve to continue this cycle of self-destruction, destroy the faith that your new employer has placed in you, and ultimately, confirm your own opinion that you are worthless.

I think you are emotionally and spiritually lost. The lies you tell others and yourself, the guilt, and the broken promises must weigh on you like an anchor. You must feel exhausted from all the games you have to play to keep this charade going. How much longer can you keep this up?

You say you "hate withdrawals" as though they are a piece of cake for everyone else who goes through them. Yeah. I bet they suck. I have no doubt that they are the most miserable pain you have ever experienced. Clearly, this addiction is not alcohol, as has been assumed by previous posters. You have to face something horrific to get clean, don't you? But is the temporary pain of detox really that much worse than the slow and unending pain of watching your beautiful life just spiral downward, lower and lower?

You CAN change your life, but you have to decide that you are worth the effort, my friend. You have to be willing to go all the way. You need to fully detox, get some support (professional and personal), and spend a little time with yourself working through the self-talk that feeds this addiction. You need to do this BEFORE you enter the job market.

If you are currently employed, you should have access to an EAP program that can put you in touch with the help you need. You probably should go on short term disability and enter a treatment program. If you have already lost your job, you will have to do a little research, but there are programs available for the indigent.

If you can find the courage to do what I am suggesting, your life path will become crystal clear to you on the other side of this journey, and you won't have to worry about what to say to a potential employer. If you can't find the courage to turn loose of whatever it is that has got a hold on you, then even the best intentioned folks on CafePharma are not going to be able to help you. I truly wish you the very best in your life journey, friend, and I hope that in the end, you find everything that you are looking for.

 

[Anonymous]

I know everyone acts like they are the top rep in their company and make 150K a year but surely you have seen others not do well for whatever reason. Mine is due to substance abuse. There just comes a point in time when you cant defend your resume even if it is inflated and you have job gaps, not the best brag book, etc. Also, feel like you need a fresh start.

Yes, there are other Business-to-business sales jobs that are more about just simple "account management" but I have seen the older one gets the harder it is to get hired. Usually guys do the copier sales route and then get into medical but I am not sure if I take a job making 45K say doing copier sales, but what about advancement opportunities? When it is obvious you took a step back. I basically have 2 different industry jobs on my resume and it would be a 3rd if get out of it. I think people that hire like to see career advancement as a big thing when hiring since everyone says they were over quota. But career advancement is more easily to verify.

Hey buddy, just go do a line. Fuck it, let's party.